The Leading Light
by VoltEagle
Summary: In a world full of turmoil and discord, there are many leaders that attempt to fix the problems left by our fathers. Only one light can shine the brightest in the midst of the greatest darkness and destroy it. That light, that person? It's me.
1. Prologue: 'Matyred'

_**Disclaimer: **Pokémon is a registered trademark of Satoshi Tajiri, Game Freak, the Pokémon Company, Nintendo, etc. All trademarked characters, locations, themes and ideas are used without permission in a work of fan-created fiction. The following has been done without profit for purely entertainment purposes. All original concepts, characters, themes and ideas within are the copyrighted property of the author, and are not to be reproduced without his prior consent._

The Leading Light

Prologue

* * *

_Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life. Aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something._

_Henry David Thoreau_

* * *

I ran.

I ran.

I ran until I couldn't anymore.

Then, I ran some more.

This time through an obstacle course.

I glided through the forest, as easily as Grovyle. Slipped in between trees, ducked below low hanging vines and fallen trees, and hurdled over thick roots and logs.

My lungs burned, and muscles ached, feet felt like anchors. My drive was simple: don't get caught.

Capture meant death.

The barking of the dogs became louder, and the yelling of the pursuers sounded closer. I drove my knees hard and dug into the ground, sprinting as fast I could humanly go.

Life or death.

I ran.

"We don't want to hurt you, " said the predator.

I didn't yell in response. I ran faster.

Light.

I saw light.

An opening.

I sprinted faster than humanly possible.

The light became brighter, and I went faster.

I went into the light and leaped.

Right into a river.

Crap.


	2. Chapter 1: The Plunge

Chapter One

The Plunge

* * *

_"It's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart." _

_Anne Frank _

* * *

Three years passed since I jumped off a cliff. The nurse did not tell me everything that I had injured, and I thanked her for it. If she had, I would have given up as I would have faced a mountain instead of rolling hills.

The past year I spent in training for my duty that I owe everyone. Many people protected me and lost their lives or jobs for it. It turned out that I was a martyr back in Kanto. The rebellion became a total insurgence against the Champion, thus plunging Kanto into a bloody civil war.

The leaders of the insurgency spent millions of pokens on me for my recovery. They forced me to undergo surgeries that enhanced my reactions and visions, reinforced my bones, strengthened my muscles. They made me a supersoldier, on par with the modern day special forces like Ranger Team Mu.

I never asked for this.

Now, the martyr became the phoenix, illuminating the world once more with his being.

...

They gave me a new beginning. They gave me two commands: do not reveal yourself to the public and do not return to your family. They said they would inform the public as needed. Until then, I was free to do as I pleased.

So, I decided to become a trainer yet again. Even during the civil war, the gyms gave out their badges for there would be the Indigo League Conference every fourteen months, the time it took an average trainer to complete an eight badge circuit. Everyone expected the war to be over within months so when the first conference during the war took place, both sides agreed to an armistice.

The leaders tried to persuade me to pursue another hobby. They failed, after they exhausted every idea that earned me about a month of vacation time, and relented.

They had to go through a lot of trouble as they needed to procure me a fake trainer's ID and register me under a different alias, make sure that facial analysis doesn't recognize me or the fact that my face registered to two different people.

They had smiles and became relieved when they sent me on that boat to Pallet.

SC

"You're good to go, Trainer Bailey," the border patrol officer said as he handed me my trainer ID,"Good luck with your journey."

"Thank you, officer," I said with a smile,"have a nice day."

I walked out the building and stepped onto to land I missed for far too long. Pallet Town ran as usual, as the war did not have an adverse effect on the people. The monuments of the legends Red and Blue, now erect in the harbor, protected them. No one messed with the wishes of legends: Pallet Town is not to be disturbed or drawn into any war, any person or people united as one found guilty will be punished to the fullest extent, and no mercy shall be given in accordance to the severity of the offense.

My commanding officer, known as Doofus to everyone that knows him, recommended me to visit the Professor of Kanto, a man that had mentored me in Ranger School. As I and many others pointed out that was not a good idea due to his laboratory having security footage and said footage stored on the porynexus. Two main flaws: one, he might recognize me and slip that tidbit in a conversation or two, some hacker decides to access the laboratory one day and find of video me, which is likely since the latest hack had been three months ago.

So, that plan was out.

I did some thinking and came up with a plan of action in about ten minutes. I decided on stocking up on essential supplies, both basic and supplies specialized for Viridian Forest, go to the local park to let out Milo and then go to bed. First thing tomorrow morning, I would head for Viridian.

Basic supplies required common sense, which had been in short supply lately; nevertheless it included: a map, compass, a canteen, pokeballs, potions and antidotes for both human and Pokemon, a first-aid kit, a combat knife, rope, whistle, and a lighter. Viridian Forest specialized supplies included: a pocket and a wristwatch, a small transistor radio, torch, or a fucking military grade flamethrower, a champion fire-type Pokemon, or an adult flying-type to fly over that hellhole.

SC

After leaving the shop, I headed for the park on the south side of town. The monument of Blue and Blacky resided there, greeting the newcomers and protecting the town. To the east lied a half-erect monument of Green, a homage to how she could have been a legend, but instead disappeared. The monument of Red and Pikachu lied in the north welcoming the trainers visiting the professor, a reminder that a nobody could become somebody. The park itself had a statue of Red and Blue, but this time as children, playing a game of _Catch 'Em All_.

The - "Hey, do you know who owns that arcanine?"

Their voice sounded familiar, though I didn't recognize them at first.

"It's being..."

"A stupid dog?" I didn't bother looking at Milo to see what he was doing.

"I think so..."

Glancing at Milo, I saw him kicking dirt high into the air with head stuck in a hole. I sighed and returned him.

"Is he always like that?"

"He has his moments of brilliance, but most times he is that stupid dog," I said, deciding finally to look at the girl talking to me. I recognized her instantly, her stunning eyes and smile, which made even the crustiest old woman smile, gave it away. "Lana."

She sat down next to me, saying, "I was getting nervous you wouldn't look at me, Trainer Bailey. I've missed you."

"Yeah, me too... wait. How did-"

"It's been three years since we've last saw each other," she laughed. "A lot can change, you know that, Supersoldier."

I smirked. "Yeah, it can. So that's what you've been up to, joining Ranger Team Delta?"

She was surprised. "I guess two can play that game. Ranger Team Delta isn't even officially recognized! No one knows about it, and even if people do, they think it's made up!"

"You shouldn't be surprised, Lana," I said.

She shrugged. "I guess not. So what have you been up to for the past month? Your superiors didn't log your whereabouts."

"Vacationing, annoying the crap out of them, so not much," I said. "Pretty much been out of the loop. What's going in the war?"

"Rather not say, but the other regions are eager for the war to be over..."

"So they can take us over? Do they not realize that Cinnabar and Pallet stay out of intra-regional conflicts for that reason? And Blue and Red are still alive and well?"

"They're still kicking!?."

"Of course! Last I heard was that Red _and_ Blue were kicking ass in the Far West. Thought you would know this?"

"No, I'm focusing on the war, Marshall," she said, looking at Blue's monument. I raised an eyebrow. Seemingly knowing what I was about to say, "And you. I don't think how hard you understand your death was for me. Then, when I heard that you were alive, I couldn't believe it... I still can't."

"Lana..."

"It has been three years... that's a long time... a lot changes... all I know is that I could be insane right now, and you're just a figment of my imagination!"

"I'm not. I'm real."

"I want to believe that so bad! When everyone around you spew lies, you tend not to believe things. You can't even trust your own eyes! I don't know what we're fighting for anymore!"

"What do you mean? We're fighting for justice, for the truth, for peace."

"No. When you say 'we,' you must mean you. No one else is fighting for that. They're fighting for survival, fighting so they can reign terror on their opposition. The side you're fighting for is just as bad as the side you're fighting against."

"But..."

"Believe me, even if you're not real, just believe me. I've seen things... they've hid the truth from you..."

"I believe you. I don't believe them, never have. They told me what I wanted to hear, I told them what they wanted to hear," I said. "There are others like me, they're not just on one side. They're on both sides, fighting for the same ideals - truth, justice and peace. It's a tragedy and quite a bit ironic."

She hugged... tackled me. She buried her face into my chest and cried, her tears flowed freely, but she didn't make a sound. I told her what she wanted to hear; I was just me. The role model, the leader - the person everyone looked up to and everyone respected.

I gave people hope.

Not because I wanted to, no, but because it was my duty to do so.

I rubbed her back, saying everything will be all right.

In the end.

I didn't say that because for everything to be all right, shit has to hit rock bottom. We're nowhere close to it. In fact, we're not even falling. We're about drive off a cliff and into the abyss, but we can't stop and turn around because the road behind us disappeared. We have to keep moving forward, without looking back or looking down.


End file.
